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Public release date: 15-Oct-2009
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It stands to reason that giving science teachers opportunities to do research in a lab would have value for the teachers – deepening their content knowledge, engaging them in their subject, and bringing hands-on teaching of science back to their students. What's less clear is the difference this kind of teacher development makes to their students' achievement in science.
A study of teachers' research experiences and student results over time by Samuel Silverstein of Columbia University and colleagues – discussed in a paper in the Oct. 16 issue of Science magazine – shows that such experiences can have a direct impact on student performance. Students of teachers who participated in Columbia University's Summer Research Program outperformed other students in the state's science assessment by 10 percentage points, according to Silverstein's study. He also makes an economic case for making this kind of experience available to science teachers, demonstrating the kind of long-term and short-term savings that can be realized when teachers are retained and students don't have to repeat coursework.
Who: Dr. Samuel Silverstein, of Columbia University's departments of physiology and cellular biophysics, and founder of the Columbia University Summer Research Program.
What: Media teleconference and webcast to discuss research experiences for science teachers and their impact on student achievement.
When: Thursday, October 15, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. (All information disclosed in this briefing will remain embargoed by Science until 2:00 p.m. ET, Thursday, October 15, 2009.)
How to Participate: Reporters are invited to participate in a live video teleconference hosted by NSF with Samuel C. Silverstein of Columbia University on Thursday, October 15, at 1:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Reporters in the United States may participate by teleconference or Internet. To participate by teleconference, call 888-989-4574. To obtain the password to participate in the teleconference and to obtain the URL and password to access the webcast, email Maria Zacharias at mzachari@nsf.gov. During the event, email questions for Samuel Silverstein to webcast@nsf.gov.
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